Coin wrapping apparatus

ABSTRACT

A coin wrapping apparatus comprises a plurality of wrapping rolls arranged around a space for receiving a stack of coins and adapted to be advanced toward or separated from the stack of coins, means for feeding a piece of wrapping paper, a plurality of guide plates for guiding the wrapping paper around the stack of coins, means for fold crimping the lateral edges of the wrapping paper, and means for opening at least one of the guide plates when the fold crimping means is introduced into crimping position.

United States Patent I 1191 Ushio 1451 Sept. 16, 1975 [54] COIN WRAPPING APPARATUS 3,740,923 6/1973 Itoda 53/212 3,775,940 12/1973 Hatanaka 53/212 [75] Invemor: Masamsh' Ushlo, Hlmell, Japan 3,821,917 7/1974 Hatanaka 53 212 x [73] Assignee: Glory Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha,

Hyogo, Japan Primary Examiner-Travis S. McGehee [22] Filed, Jan 16 1974 Assistant Examiner.lohn Sipos Appl. No.: 433,891

Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Wenderoth, Lind & Ponack [57] ABSTRACT A coin wrapping apparatus comprises a plurality of wrapping rolls arranged around a space for receiving a stack of coins and adapted to be advanced toward or separated from the stack of coins, means for feeding a piece of wrapping paper, a plurality of guide plates for guiding the wrapping paper around the stack of coins, means for fold crimping the lateral edges of the wrapping paper, and means for opening at least one of the guide plates when the fold crimping means is introduced into crimping position.

3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures Pawn; m

SHEET 1 UP 5 FIG.

PATENTH 1 5 59175 saw 5 or 5 FIG.5

COIN WRAPPING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to coin wrapping machines, and more particularly to a coin wrapping apparatus constituting a principal part thereof.

Ordinarily, in the coin wrapping apparatus of this type, a stack of coins of the same denomination is placed centrally amid a plurality of wrapping rolls in contact therewith. When a piece of wrapping paper is introduced between the wrapping rolls and the stack of coins with guidance by guide plates, the wrapping paper is wrapped around the circumferential surface of the stack of coins, and the lateral edges of the thus wrapped paper projecting upward and downward beyond the two ends of the coin stack are fold crimped by crimping needles or books.

Conventionally, the guiding plates have been fixed to members supporting bearings of the wrapping rolls so that the guiding plates are shifted together with the wrapping rolls. In order to allow the crimping needles or hooks to enter inside of the guide plates and to allow .a vertical movement thereof relative to the wrapping rolls, each of the guiding plates of the conventional construction has been provided with a cut-away portion.

Such cut-away portions of the guide plates, however, have frequently caused objectionable protrusion of an end thereof through the cut-away portions and hence clogging or jamming by the wrapping paper while the latter is guided along the guiding plates, which, when it occurs, makes it impossible to obtain satisfactory wrapping of the stack of coins.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved wrapping apparatus whereby the above described shortcomings of the conventional type thereof are substantially eliminated.

A specific object of the invention is to provide an improved coin wrapping apparatus wherein the wrapping paper is guided smoothly, and the stack of coins can be wrapped and crimped without fail.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved coin wrapping apparatus which has a comparatively simple construction and the production cost thereof is relatively low.

The above described advantageous features of the present invention can be achieved by an improved coin wrapping apparatus which comprises a plurality of wrapping rolls arranged around a stack of a predetermined number of coins of the same denomination in a manner such that the wrapping rolls can be advanced toward the stack of coins thereby to contact and rotate the latter, or retracted therefrom for the introduction or delivery of the stack of coins, means for feeding a piece of wrapping paper, a plurality of guide plates for guiding the wrapping paper between the stack of coins and the plurality of wrapping rolls so that the paper is wrapped around the circumference of the latter, and a pair of paper folding needles or hooks for fold crimping the lateral edges of the wrapped paper, the improvement comprising means for retracting at least one of the guiding plates when it is required for providing openings through which the paper crimping needles are introduced.

The nature, principle, and utility of the present invention will be made more apparent in the following detailed description of the invention when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like reference numerals.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a coin wrapping machine, partly cut-away for indicating a coin wrapping apparatus included therein,

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a coin wrapping apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing an important part of the coin wrapping apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing one part of the coin wrapping apparatus; and

FIG. 5 is a plan view similar to FIG. 4 showing one part of the coin wrapping apparatus which is modified slightly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION First, the general organization of one example of a coin wrapping machine in which this invention has been applied will be described. The essential operational sections of this coin wrapping machine 1, are: a coin supplying device 2 for supplying coins to be wrapped; a coin stacking device 3 for arranging coins supplied from the supply device 2 into a stack of a predetermined number of coins; a coin wrapping device 4 for winding wrapping paper around the coins thus stacked thereby to wrap the same; a coin stock transferring mechanism 5 for introducing the above mentioned coin stack from the coin stacking device 3 into the coin wrapping device 4; a wrapping paper feeding device 6 for feeding wrapping paper into the coin wrapping device 4; and a control device 7 for controlling the operation of the coin wrapping device 4.

The above mentioned coin supplying device 2 includes a hopper 10 for receiving coins dropped thereinto; parts forming a passageway 11 for coin classification and counting; a revolving disk 12 for successively sending coins from the hopper 10 by centrifugal force into the passageway Ill; a locomotive belt 13 for moving coins introduced into the passageway 11 along this passageway; a classification device 14 for classifying the coins thus moved and discharging coins of small diameter; and a counting mechanism including a counting sprocket wheel 15 (only component shown) rotated by the moving coins meshing successively therewith and driving a counter (not shown), which detects the passage of a predetermined number of coins, whereupon the counting sprocket wheel 15 is locked and thereafter stops further supply of coins until the succeeding operational cycle.

The coin stacking device 3 comprises a coin alignment cylinder 17 communicatively aligned with a guide member 16 provided at the outlet end of the passageway 11, a vibrating device 18 for imparting vibration to the alignment cylinder 17 to shake the coins into a neat stack, and a shutter mechanism 19 for opening and shutting the lower open end of the alignment cylinder 17.

The principal parts of the coin wrapping device 4 are a plurality of wrapping rolls 20, 21, and 22, which are movable in directions for mutually approaching and mutually separating from each other, and a pair of fold crimping hook needles 23 and 24. A coin stack aligned in the above described manner in the coin stacking device 3 is transferred by the stack transferring mechanism 5 described below past the shutter mechanism 19 in its opened state and into a space surrounded by the wrapping rolls 20, 21, and 22 and is then clamped by these rolls. As these rolls thereupon impart rotation to the coin stack, they cause a piece of wrapping paper 25 to be wrapped around the coin stack.

One principal part of the coin stack transferring mechanism 5 is a vertical guide tube 28 supported in a manner permitting its vertical movement and having at its upper end a support part 27 disposed below the above mentioned shutter mechanism 19 and operating to lower and introduce the above mentioned coin stack, which drops under its own weight upon being released by the opening action of shutter plates 26, 26 of the shutter mechanism 19, into the space between the wrapping rolls 20, 21, and 22. Another principal part of this transferring mechanism 5 is a holding rod 29 passed slidably through the guide tube 28, thereby being vertically movable, and operating to hold the coin stack between the wrapping rolls 20, 21, and 22. This coin stack transferring mechanism 5 is adapted to move out of the way below and to one side of the wrapping device 4 at the time ofdischarge of a wrapped coin stack from this wrapping device.

The wrapping paper feeding device 6 has a holding mechanism 30 for holding and storing ribbon-form wrapping paper 25 as a roll, a feed roll mechanism 33 comprising a driving roll 31 and an idler pinch roll 32 for clamping and paying out the wrapping paper 25 from the holding mechanism, and a cutter 34 for cutting the wrapping paper 25 into pieces of appropriate length for wrapping each coin stack.

Each piece of wrapping paper thus cut is interposed between the wrapping rolls 20, 21, and 22 and a coin stack and thereby wrapped around the cylindrical surface of the coin stack as described hereinbelow. Each coin stack upon completion of wrapping is discharged by way a wrapped coin discharge chute 8.

Next, details of the coin wrapping mechanism related to this invention will be described.

In FIG. 3, for convenience in description, holes for receiving and being fixed to shafts or spindles are shown with hatching on their inner surfaces, and holes for loosely and rotatably fitting on shafts are shown without hatching. Furthermore, shaft holes represented symbolically as bearings indicate that the corresponding shafts or spindles are rotatably supported by the machine frame.

This FIG. 3 shows a specific example of construction of mechanism for causing some or all of the wrapping rolls 20, 21, and 22 to move toward each coin stack in accordance with the setting for the kind of coins (denomination) in the stack. A denomination setting knob 35 is coupled to a vertical shaft 36 either directly or indirectly by way of parts such as a rotary switch, a mo tor, and a cam. This shaft 36 fixedly supports a gear 37 meshed with an idler gear 39, which is rotatably fitted on a vertical shaft 38. The gear 39 is fixedly connected to a cam 40 for setting the distance of movement of the three wrapping rolls 20, 21, and 22. This cam 40 has a peripheral cam surface of a figure wherein the distance of the periphery from the centerline of the shaft 38 varies stepwise in accordance with the different outer diameters of the coins to be handled by the machine.

The vertical shaft 38 fixedly supports arms 41 and 42 at their proximal ends and a sector gear 43. A vertical shaft 44 is rotatably fitted in the arm 41 at substantially the middle part thereof and, extending through the middle part ofa lever 45, rotatably supports this lever. This lever 45 has at one end thereof a roller 46, which is continually pressed in contact with the peripheral cam surface of the aforementioned cam 40 by the force of a spring 47.

A vertical shaft 48 adapted to rotate through one revolution with one cycle of the wrapping process fixedly supports cams 49 and 50. The cam 49 has formed thereon a cam surface 51 for establishing the position for minimum approaching of the wrapping rolls 20, 21, and 22 and a cam surface 52 for establishing the position for introduction of a coin stack (intermediate position). The cam has formed thereon a cam surface 53 for establishing a maximum position. The other end of the abovementioned lever 45 rotatably supports a camfollower roller 54 pressed into contact with the cam 49. A cam-follower roller 55 rotatably supported on the distal end of the above mentioned arm 41 is disposed '7 to face the cam 50 and is adapted to contact only the cam surface 53 for establishing the maximum position.

The above mentioned sector gear 43 is meshed with a sector gear 57 fixed to a vertical shaft 56. This shaft 56 fixedly supports arms 58, 59, and 60 at their proximal ends, and a gear 61 for transmitting rotational power from a motor (not shown) for driving the wrapping rolls to the wrappingroll 20 is rotatably fitted on the lower end of this shaft 56.

The arms 58 and 59 are coupled by a tie rod 62 fixed to intermediate points respectively of these arms and, at points further out from their proximal ends, rotatably support the upper and lower shafts 63 and 64, respectively, of the wrapping roll 20. To the lower shaft 64, there is fixed a gear 65 meshed with the above mentioned gear 61. Accordingly, rotational power is transmitted from the gear 61, through the gear 65 and the shaft 64, to the wrapping roll 20.

At the distal end of the aforementioned arm 42 on the shaft 38, there is pin connected one end of a link member 66, and a constant-force spring 67 is coupled to the extreme outer end of the arm 42. The other end of the link member 66 is pin connected to the distal end of an arm 69 fixed at its proximal end to a vertical shaft 68.

The shaft 68 also fixedly supports arms 70 and 71 for supporting the wrapping roll 21 at spaced apart points above and below the arm 69 and, in addition, supports fixedly supports a gear for transmitting power from a wrapping roll driving motor (not shown) to the roll 21. The wrapping roll 21 is rotatably supported by upper and lower journals 73 and 74 on the distal ends of the arms 70 and 71. A gear 75 is fixed to the lower journal 74 and is meshed with a gear 77 on a vertical shaft 76 passing through the arms 70 and 71, the gear 77 being in mesh also with the above mentioned gear 72.

A link member 78 is pin connected at one end thereof to the distal end of the above mentioned arm 60 and the shaft 56 and at the other end thereof to the distal end of an arm 80 fixed at its distal end to a vertical shaft 79. This shaft 79 also supports a pair of approximately C-shaped arms 81 and 82 at their proximal ends at spaced apart positions on the shaft above and below the arm 80. The distal ends of the arms 81 and 82 rotatably support the upper and lower journals 83 and 84 of the wrapping roll 22.

The wrapping rolls 20, 21, and 22 have a mutual positional relationship such that they are respectively disposed at the corners of an equilateral triangle as viewed in plan view as in FIGS. 4 and 5. These wrapping rolls are caused to move toward or away from the center of that triangle or the center of the coin stack by the movements of their respective supporting arms. in FIGS. 4 and 5, reference character A designates a coin stack.

The driving power from the driving motor is transmitted to the driving roll 31, and the wrapping paper out to an appropriate length is fed by the driving roll 31 and the pinch roll 32 toward the coin wrapping rolls 20, 21, and 22.

As a principal feature of the present invention, the coin wrapping apparatus further comprises a guiding device for guiding the wrapping paper 25 thus fed through the paper feeding device 6 toward the coin wrapping rolls 20, 21, and 22.

The paper guiding device, as clearly shown in FIG. 3, comprises a gear 87 rotatably fitted on the upper end shaft 63 of the wrapping roll and interposed between the upper end surface of the wrapping roll 20 and the lower surface of the arm 58, and also a supporting plate 88 rotatably fitted on the lower end shaft 64 of the same roll and interposed between the lower end surface of the same wrapping roll 20 and the upper surface of the lower arm 59. A guide plate 89 is supported by the gear 87 and the supporting plate 88. The width of the guide plate 89 is selected to be substantially equal to or somewhat greater than the diameter of coins A having a smallest diameter expected to be handled in the coin wrapping apparatus.

About one-half of the guide plate 89 in the width direction is bent into a partly cylindrical configuration having a radius of curvature equal to that of the coin having the smallest diameter to be handled in this apparatus, and an opening 90 capable of passing one part of the cylindrical surface of the wrapping roll 20 therethrough is provided through an intermediate part of the guide plate 89.

The gear 87 meshes with a sector gear 91 which is rotatably supported on the shaft 56 and urged in one rotational direction by a spring 92. An arcuate slot 93 is provided throughthe sector gear 91, and the shaft 62 passes through the arcuate slot 93. Another guide plate 94 arranged contiguously to the above-mentioned guide plate 89, and formed into a planar configuration, is fixedly supported by the arms 58 and 59.

To the ends of the C-shaped arms 81 and 82 supporting the wrapping roll 22, another guide plate 95 is fixed, and the width of the guide plate 95 is selected to be substantially equal to or somewhat greater than the largest diameter of coins A to be handled in this apparatus, and an opening 96 of a size allowing the passage of one part of the wrapping roll 22 is provided at an intermediate part of the guide plate 95. Laterally onehalf part of the guide plate 95 is formed into a cylindrical configuration having a radius of curvature substantially equal to that of coins having the minimum diameter. 4

As in the case of the wrapping roll 21, a gear 97 and a supporting plate 98 are rotatably supported on the end shafts 73 and 74 of the wrapping roll 21 at positions between the arms 70 and 71 and the upper and lower ends of the wrapping roll 21, respectively. Still another guide plate 99 is fixedly mounted on the inner side surfaces, near the centerof the three wrapping rolls, of the gear 97 and the supporting plate 98. The width of the guide plate 99 is selected to be substantially equal to or somewhat broader than the diameter of coins with the smallest diameter expected to be handled in this apparatus, and one part of this guide plate in the width direction is bent into a partly cylindrical configuration having a radius of curvature substantially equal to that of the coins A having the smallest diameter. An opening 100 allowing the passage of a part of the wrapping roll 21 is provided at the middle part of the guide plate 99.

On the outer side surfaces of the gear 97, only one circumferential'part of which is threaded, and the supporting plate 98, still another guide plate 101 of L- shaped is fixedly mounted, and the guiding part 102 of the guide plate 101 is extended to a position confronting one lateral edge of the guide plate 99.

The partly threaded gear 97 meshes with another gear 103 rotatably supported on the shaft 76, and the gear 103 meshes with a sector gear 104 which is fixed to the structure of the apparatus, and by which the shaft 68 is supported freely rotatably.

A shaft 105 is rotatably supported between the distal ends of the arms 70 and 71, and on the shaft 105, a frame-shaped connecting plate 106 enveloping the outer side of the wrapping roll 21 is rotatably supported. The connecting plate 106 is laterally connected with a guide plate 107, which is placed between the guide plates 89 and 99 and inwardly bent into a partly cylindrical configuration having a radius of curvature substantially equal to that of the coins A having a maximum diameter.

in addition, the aforementioned shaft 48 supports in a fixed manner a cam 108 which is provided for controlling the opening and closing operation of the guide plates 89 and 107 at the time when the crimping needles 23 and 24 are advanced toward the stack of coins. For this purpose, the cam 108 is further provided with a peripheral cam surface 109 for closing the guide plates while the paper is wrapped around the coin stack, and another peripheral surface portion 110 for introducing the crimping needles 23 and 24 toward the coin stack.

in the proximity of the cam 108, there is provided a T-shaped lever 111 rotatably supported on a shaft 112. Follower rollers 113 and 114 are provided on two ends of the lever 111, and these rollers 113 and 114 are brought into contactwith the cam 108 and a side surface of the sector gear 91, respectively. An end ofa link 115 is pin-connected to the third end of the T-shaped lever 111, and the other end of the link 115 is pinconnected to one end of bell crank 117 rotatably mounted on a shaft 116. The other end of the bell crank 117 is pin-connected to an end ofa lever l 18, the other end of which is pin-connected to a side of the aforementioned frame-shaped connecting plate 106 opposite to the side on which the guide plate 107 is fixed. 7

Furthermore, internally of either one of the driving roll 31 and the pinch roll 32, preferably internally of the driving roll 31, another paper guide plate 119 is fixed to the structure of the coin wrapping apparatus. The pinch roll 32' is in this case rotatably supported between t'wo supporting plates 121 and 122 fixed to a shaft 120, and moved toward or away from the driving roll 31 upon rotation of the shaft 120.

Still another guide plate 123 is fixed to inner surfaces of the supporting plates 121 and 122 in a manner such that the guide plate 123 confronts the guide plate 119 in a spaced apart relationship. An opening 124 for projecting one part of the driving roll 31' is provided through the guide plate 123.

Next, the details of the paper fold crimping mechanism in the coin wrapping device 4 will now be described briefly.

On the aforementioned shaft 48, a cam 126 for defining horizontal movements of the crimping needles 23 and 24, and further cams 127 and 128 for defining the vertical movements of the same needles are also fixedly mounted. The cam 126 is provided with a peripheral cam surface, against which a follower projection 132 from a planar member 131, which is swingable around a shaft 129, is urged by a spring 133. Another shaft 130 also penetrates through the planar member 131, and arms 144 and 145 bearing the crimping needles 23 and 24, respectively, in a freely rotatable manner so that the arms 144 and 145 are rotated horizontally around the shaft 129 when the cam 126 fixed to the shaft 48 is rotated as described hereinbefore.

The lower cam 128 for defining the vertical movements of the needles has a cam surface 134 on the lower side thereof, while the upper cam 127 has a cam surface 135 formed on the upper side thereof. A square control hole is provided through the upper cam 127, and a portion of the shaft 48 passing through the central hole is also formed to have a square crosssection, so that the upper cam 127 can be rotated by the shaft 48 without slip even if the cam 127 is shifted upwardly or downwardly along the shaft 48 by a member engaging with a groove 136 provided along the circumference of the upper cam 127.

More'specifically, a cam 137 for presetting the apparatus to the kind of coins and also the number of coins contained in a stack, is fixedly mounted on a shaft 139 which is rotated through a gear (or sprocket wheel) 138 driven by a motor (not shown). The cam 137 has a peripheral cam surface against which is urged a follower roller 142 provided at one end of a lever 141 disposed rotatably around a pin 140. Another roller 143 provided at the other end of the lever 141 engages with the peripheral groove 136 of the upper cam 127, as described above, for shifting the cam 127 upwardly or downwardly.

The aforementioned two arms 144 and 145 at their proximal ends are fitted in a vertically slidable manner on the above mentioned vertical shafts 129 and 130 and respectively have L-shaped bent parts at their distal ends, which respectively support the U-shaped crimping hook needles 23 and 24. At points near their proximal ends, these arms 144 and 145 are mutually coupled and pulled together by a constant-fore spring 148 and are respectively provided with rollers 149 and 150 in contact with the cam surfaces 135 and 134 of the aforementioned cams 127 and 128, respectively.

The example of the above described arrangement according to the invention operates as follows.

The denomination presetting knob 35 is first manipulated to preset the machine for coins of a denomination, i.e., coin diameter, to be counted, whereupon the rotational speed of a motor (not shown) for driving the wrapping rolls 20, 21, and 22 and feed rolls 31 and 32 is preset. At the same time, the cam 137 fixed to the shaft 139 turns through a specific angle and thereby causes, by way of the arm 141, the cam 127 to undergo a rising and descending movement, whereby the arm 144 undergoes an up and down movement and is preset at a specific position. Also at the same time, the shaft 36 rotates through a specific angle, thereby turning the cam 40 through a specific angle by way of the gears 37 and 39.

However, since the roller 55 of the arm 41 is in contact with the cam 50 at its outermost cam surface 53, the roller 54 of the lever 45 is pulled by the spring 47 and is in contact with the cam surface 52 for establishing the position for introduction of a coin stack (intermediate position) of the cam 49, but the other roller 46 is in a state wherein it is not contacting the cam 40. When the mechanism is in this state, the wrapping rolls 20, 21, and 22 are at their outermost position, and all of the guide plates are also in their opened state. In other words, the guide plates 94 and 95 are connected to the arms 58, 59, and 81, 82, respectively, and hence placed at predetermined positions relative to the wrapping rolls 20 and 22. Furthermore, since the sector gear 91 is urged in one direction by the tension spring 92, and the shaft 62 is passing through the arcuate slot 93 thereof, the guide plate 89 is maintained at an inward position during the time when the contacting roller 114 at an end of the T-shaped lever 111 is not in contact with the side surface of the sector gear 91. In addition, since the sector gear 104 is fixed to the structure of the apparatus, the gear 97 is' at a counterclockwisely rotated position while the arms and 71 are both held at the outermost positions, whereby the guide plate 99 is brought into an outermost opened position. Likewise, the guide plate 107 connected to the arms 70 and 71 is placed to the most outwardly opened position.

When the shaft 48 further rotates until the earns 49 and 50 are rotated through a predetermined angle, the cam-follower roller 55 at an end of the arm 41 is separated from the cam surface 53 defining the outermost positions of the wrapping rolls 20, 21, and 22, and another cam-follower roller 54 at an end of the lever 45 is brought into contact with the cam surface 52, defining coin introducing positions of the wrapping rolls, of the cam 49. Thus, the lever 45 is rotated under action of the tension spring 47 until an contacting roller 46 at the other end of the lever 45 contacts the cam surface of the cam 40, whereby the arm 41 is rotated around the shaft 44 through a predetermined angle determined by the displacement of the lever 45 while the latter is in contact with the cam 40.

During this time, the arm 42 and the sector gear 43 fixedly mounted on the shaft 38 are also rotated through a predetermined angle under the action of the constant-force spring 36. The rotation of the arm 42 causes rotation of the shaft 68 through the link 66 and the arm 69, thereby to rotate the arms 70 and 71, whereby the wrapping roll 21 is shifted one step closer to the center of the triangularly arranged wrapping rolls. The rotation of the arms 70 and 71 further rotates v the gear 97 in the clockwise direction through the meshing gears 103 and 104 since one of the gears, 104, of a sector shape is fixed to the structure of the machine. The guide plate 99 is thus brought nearer to the circumferential surface of the coin stack A, and the connecting plate 106 coupled to the arms 70 and 71 is also rotated in such a manner that the distal edge of the guide plate 107 is also thereby brought nearer to the stack of coins A.

In addition, the rotation of the sector gear 43 in transmitted through the other sector gear 57 thereby to cause the shaft 56 to rotate, thus rotating the arms 58 and 59 fixed to the shaft 56, and bringing the wrapping roll one step nearer the center. The rotation of the arms 58 and 59 further rotates the guide plate 94, and the guide plate 89 is also rotated toward the circumferential surface of the stack of coins A together with the arms 58 and 59 because the shaft 62 is held at an end 'of the arcuate slot 93, and the guide plate 89 is not thereby subjected to the action of the sector gears 87 and 91.

Furthermore, the rotation of the arm 60 fixed to the shaft 56 rotates the shaft 79 through the link 78 and the arm 80, thus rotating the arms 81 and 82 fixed to the shaft 79, whereupon the wrapping roll 22 is also shifted toward the center by one step. At this time, the guide plate 95 fixed to the arms 81 and 82 is also brought nearer to the circumferential surface of the stack of coins A. In this manner, all of the wrapping rolls 20, 21,

and 22 are shifted toward the center by a distance corresponding to one step, which is preset by the setting of the cam 40 contacting the roller 46 on the lever 45.

When all of the wrapping rolls 20, 21, and 22 and the guide plates 89, 94, 95, 99, and 107 are moved by one step for a distance determined by the size of the coins A, the coin supporting rod 29 is elevated together with the guide tube 28 toward the shutter mechanism 19 disposed below the coin alignment cylinder 17. When the shutter mechanism 19 opens, a stack of coins of a predetermined number which have been counted is supported on the coin supporting rod 29 which descends thereafter to introduce the stack of coins A into the space surrounded by the wrapping rolls 20, 21, and 22.

The cams 49 and 50 are further rotated until the cam-follower roller 54 on the lever 45 is brought into contact with the cam surface 51 for establishing the position for minimum distance between the wrapping rolls .20, 21, and 22, whereupon the wrapping rolls are brought nearer to clamp the coin stack A. Simultaneously therewith, the guide plates 89, 94, 95, 99, and 107 are also brought into the positions in the neighborhood of the coin stack A.

In the case where the diameter of the coins A is comparatively great as shown in FIG. 4, all of the guide plates 89, 94, 95, 99 and 107 surrounding the coin stack A are brought together in a manner encircling the coin stack A therewithin, while in the case where the diameter of the coins A is comparatively small as shown in FIG. 5, only the guide plates 89, 95, and 99 are placed in the positions encircling the coin stack A therewithin.

When the coin stack A is clamped between the wrapping rolls, the driving motor rotates the wrapping rolls at their predetermined speeds. More specifically, the rotation of the driving motor causes rotation of the wrapping roll 20 through gears 61 and 65 and also rotation of the wrapping roll 21 through gears 72, 77, and 75. Furthermore, the wrapping paper supplying roll 31 is also rotated through gears (not shown).

By this time, the shaft 120 has been turned, and the paper feeding rolls 31 and 32 are thereby pressed against each other. Thus, when the wrapping paper is supplied in between the paper feeding rolls 31 and Y 32, the paper 25 is placed under a tension by the rolls 31 and 32 and thereby cut into a piece of a predetermined length by the cutter 34.

The leading end of the piece of paper 25 thus cut into a predetermined length is then fed into the coin wrapping device 4 under the guidance of the guiding plates and is wrapped around the circumferential surface of the coin stack A. When the wrapping of the paper piece around the coin stack is completed, the cam-follower roller 113 on an end of the T-shaped lever 111 is shifted from the cam surface 109 of the cam 108, defining the closure of the guide plates, to another cam surface 110 of the same cam, defining the opening of the guide plates. The T-shaped lever 111 is thus rotated in the clockwise direction, and the roller 114 on the other end of the lever 111 urges the sector gear 91 to rotate in the clockwise direction against the force of the spring 92 to thereby rotate the gear 87 engaging therewith in the counterclockwise direction. The rotation of the gear 87 in turn rotates the guide plate 89 fixed thereto in the counter-clockwise direction, separating it from the coin stack A and opening the guide plate 89 as indicated by chain line in FIG. 4.

Likewise, the rotation of the T-shaped lever 111 causes the connecting plate 106 to rotate around the shaft 105 in the clockwise direction, through the links and lever 115, 117, and 118, whereby the guide plate 107 connected to the connecting plate 106 is opened as indicated by chain lines in FIG. 4.

During the time when the piece of wrapping paper is wrapped around the coin stack A and the guide plates 89 and 107 are opened as described above, the cam 126 fixed to the shaft 48 is rotated until the projection 132 provided on the planar member 131 is pressed against a reduced diameter portion of the cam surface by the tension of the tension spring 133, and the planar member 131 is accordingly rotated around the shaft 129. The rotation of the planar member 131 causes the arms 144 and 145 having crimping needles 23 and 24, respectively, to rotate around the shaft 129 in a manner such that the fold crimping needles 23 and 24 intrude into the space surrounded by the wrapping rolls 20, 21, and 22, and the free ends of the arms 144 and 145 are brought to the neighborhood of the coin stack around which the wrapping paper 25 has been wrapped.

At this time, the cam-follower rollers 149 and 150 contact the cam surfaces and 134 of the cam 127 and 128, respectively, and since the arms 144 and are urged toward each other by the constant force spring 148, the fold crimping needles 23 and 24 are moved in accordance with the above-mentioned cam surfaces 135 and 134 thereby to contact the lateral edges of the thus wound wrapping paper 25. Because the coin stack A is being rotated around its axis by the wrapping rolls 20, 21, and 22 as described above, the lateral edges of the wrapping paper 25 are folded inwardly toward the axis of the coin stack and thus crimped.

When the folding-and-crimping operation is completed, the arms 144 and 145 are moved against each other depending on the configurations of the cam surfaces 135 and 134, thereby separating the fold crimping needles 23 and 24 from the crimped edges of the wrapping paper 25. Then, the follower projection 132 of the planar member 131 is brought into contact with a larger diameter portion of the cam 126, thereby causing the planar member 131 to rotate against the tension of the spring 133 in the counter-clockwise direction around the shaft 129. The arms 144 and 145 thus return to their original positions.

The earns 49 and 50 are further rotated after the above describedreturn to the original positions of the arms 144 and 145, whereby the cam-follwer roller 54 of the lever 45 starts to ride on the cam surface 52 of the cam 49, and the cam-follower roller 55 of the arm 41 starts to ride on the cam surface 53 of the cam 50. Thus, the wrapping rolls 20, 21, and 22 are caused to separate from each other, thereby dropping the already wrapped coin stack A into the discharge chute 8.'

The shaft 48 continues its rotation after the discharge of the wrapped coin stack until thecam-follower roller 55 on the arm 41 completely rides on the cam surface 53, establishing the maximum separatihg positions of the wrapping rolls 20, 21, and 22, whereupon all of the wrapping rolls 20, 21, 22, guide plates 89, 94, 95, 99, 107, and arms 144 and 145 are returned to their original positions. The driving motor is then stopped to prepare for the succeeding operation.

Although the invention has been described with reference to an embodiment thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be carried out without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For instance, while the wrapping rolls 20, 21, and 22 have been described above as being all movable, they may be so modified that at least one of the wrapping rolls is held stationary.

I claim:

1. In a coin wrapping apparatus comprising a plurality of wrapping rolls arranged around a space for receiving a stack of coins of a predetermined number and denomination, at least one of said wrapping rolls being adapted to be advanced toward said space to contact and rotate the coin stack introduced into the space and separated therefrom for the introduction and discharge of the stack of coins, means for feeding a piece of wrapping paper, a plurality of guide plates for guiding the wrapping paper thus fed between the stack of coins and the plurality of wrapping rolls to thereby wrap the paper around the peripheral surface of the coin stack, and fold crimping means movably positioned for fold crimping the lateral edges of the wrapped paper, the improvement which comprise:

a portion of said guide plates positioned in the path of said fold crimping means and adapted to be retractable therefrom; and

means operatively coupled to said guide plates for re tracting at least said guide plate portion to unblock said path when said fold crimping means are moved into crimping position.

2. A coin wrapping apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least one guide plate is provided for each of vance toward and the separation from the coin stack of the fold crimping means. 

1. In a coin wrapping apparatus comprising a plurality of wrapping rolls arranged around a space for receiving a stack of coins of a predetermined number and denomination, at least one of said wrapping rolls being adapted to be advanced toward said space to contact and rotate the coin stack introduced into the space and separated therefrom for the introduction and discharge of the stack of coins, means for feeding a piece of wrapping paper, a plurality of guide plates for guiding the wrapping paper thus fed between the stack of coins and the plurality of wrapping rolls to thereby wrap the paper around the peripheral surface of the coin stack, and fold crimping means movably positioned for fold crimping the lateral edges of the wrapped paper, the improvement which comprise: a portion of said guide plates positioned in the path of said fold crimping means and adapted to be retractable therefrom; and means operatively coupled to said guide plates for retracting at least said guide plate portion to unblock said path when said fold crimping means are moved into crimping position.
 2. A coin wrapping apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least one guide plate is provided for each of the wrapping rolls for operating cooperatively with that roll.
 3. A coin wrapping apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said retracting means comprises a cam-and-lever mechanism driven in synchronism with the advance toward and the separation from the coin stack of the fold crimping means. 